Electric-lighting system



.(No Mael.) 2 sheets-sheet 2. l

E. THOMSON. BLBGTRIG'.LIGJHING,-SYSTEM.Y No. 508,647. Patented Nov. 14, 1893.

` NITED STATES* yPmrniwr YEnron;

ELIHU THOMSON, `OF SWAMPSCOTT, MASSACHUSETTS, ASSIGNOR TO THOMSON-HOUSTON ELECTRIC COMPANY, OF CONNECTICUT.

ELECTRIC-LIGHTING'SYSTEM.

SPECIFIGATIONformng part of Letters Patent No. 508,647', dated November 14, 1893.

. Application filed August l2, 1891'. Serial No. 402,429. (No model.)

To a/ZZ whom, it may concern:

zen of the United States, residing at Swampscott, county of Essex, and State of Massachusetts, have inventeda certain new and useful Improvement in Electric-Lighting Apparatus, of which the following is a specification.

The present invention relates to electric lighting apparatus whereby practically continuous lighting may be obtained in isolated situations, such as small light-houses, Witho ut requiring the continued attention of an operator.

, ment of electric lamps as they are used up or broken, the lamps so substituted Abeing at the same time brought to the proper position, as for example to the center of a Fresnel lens combination for directing the rays. The broken lamp is thus replaced both as to circuit connection and as to position.

My invention is, therefore, applicable to the maintaining of a light atvarious points in a harbor,and for prolonged periods of time without attention. It may also be applied to providing light onbuoys floating or anchored in stations where it is required to give warning to vessels. Y

In the accompanying'drawings Figure l is a vertical sectional view of a .lighting apparatus embodying my invention. Figs. 2 and 3 show the lamp. Fig.4 shows a modification of the lamp replacing means. Fig. 5 is a diagram of the system; Fig. G shows an` indicator for showing the number of lamps replaced, and Fig. 7 shows a detail.

Fig. l shows at P a pedestal or tubular support surmounte'd by a Fresnel lens combination, L, L, from which light is emitted and which is suitably capped at the top by a removable cap, allowing access to the interior. Irthe center is a guide composed of vertical rods' g, g, there being say, three or four placed so as to support a series or row of globular lamps a, b, c, in between them and allowing only a vertical motion to the same. Of these lamps, the bottom one missecured to a rod Q, having a plunger or weight W attached to its lower end. This plunger or weight tits loosely in a tube or cylinder T in which it may move downward. The cylinder T is xed in position It provides for the automatic replace-H t shown.

and filled with sand or such like material, and Y Be it known that LELIHuTHoMsoN, a citiis provided with a valve at thelower end which allows the sand to run outwhen the magnet M, suitably provided, is acted upon to open the same. This magnet M is shown in shunt to the connections or mains m, n, and such mains run to fixed contact pieces e, f against which the terminals of the lamp a., respectively bear whenthe lamp is inthe position shown with its light giving part at the focal center of the llens system L, L. Now, the magnet M being properly adj usted, it remains inactive so far as the opening ofthe valve is concerned until the rupture of the carbon conductor in the lamp a, which rupture gives an increase of potential, which will in turn result in the operation of the magnet M in opening the valve V at the bottom of the tube T. The sand in the tube T will begin to run out and the lamp a will descend, but secured to it above is the lamp b, and again the lamp c, which also descends. The sand continues running until the terminals of the lamp b come into contact with the contactrpieces e, f, provided therefor. The lamp b is thus substituted for the destroyed lamp a and the magnet M resumes its normal l the current cease from any cause external to the lamp the valve V will remain closed, and the magnet M not be put into operation.

In Fig. 2 the construction of each lamp is The terminals t, t', are insulated and attached to the neck S on one end of the lamp while the other end is provided with a screw socket S whereby it maybe screwed into position with the preceding lamp, or screwed upon the rod Q, as the case may be.

Fig. Ssh'ows the terminals 75,15', coming into 95 contact with the xed contacts e, f, as when the substitution is to be made of one lamp for the other. The pieces e, f, should have enough springiness or yield not to hamper the motions of the lamp in its motion downward or the terminals t, t, of thelamp itself may be yielding or springy for the same purpose, as shown iu Fig. 2.

Fig. 4 shows the lnagnet M in series with the lamp a and acting by its attraction on an armature N to hold closed the valve V. This arrangement would be adapted to work only in case the lamp a was on a circuit of such low potential as to cause rupture of that circuit on the breakage of the lamp, or to cause a release of the armature N, by the lamp acquiring too high a resistance and so weakening the current through it, and said arrangement has therefore the objection that the current must always be kept on in sufficient force to maintain the valve closed, as otherwise a substitution would constantly be made on stoppage of current from any cause, whether the lamp had anything to do with it or not.

Fig. 5 shows how a dynamo D in a suitable location or station may be caused to feed in multiple arc a number of lights provid ed with the arrangements Fig. 1, as at L, P, and L', B. L, P, represent a lamp on a pedestal and L, B a buoy anchored. A well armored cable is used to convey the currents in each case.

It is desirable to provide at the generating station an indicator or indicators I, I for recording the number of shifts whichhave been made automatically by the opening and closing of the valve V and the substitution of one lamp for another. The construction of such an indicator may be varied in many ways. Fig. 6 shows one form. In this case a dierential magnet system is provided in combination with the wires m, n, going to the lamp. An armature lever L is provided with a pawl p, which acts upon a ratchet fr and sets a needle over a scale Z, so as to indicate the number of times the armature lever has been moved. The ratchet r may be arranged to move with friction so as to remain where it is placed by the pawl p. The magnet coil K is shown in shunt to the mains m, fn, and therefore in shunt to the lamp fed by them, While the magnet M is in series with the lamp. A spring t, may in addition be provided to maintain the balance between the poles of the magnets or the actions of the two coils. Under normal conditions the lever may be set to a balance. If now the lamp breaks, the magnet M will lose its power particularly if the lamp be of sufficiently low resistance, as say thirty volts, and the magnet K will acquire power whereby the action on the lever will be such that the pole is drawn to indicate a movement or shifting action, the magnet M acquiring the power on the substitution of a lamp, as in Fig. l, and the magnet K losing power, the lever is set back into its original position. If the currents fed through the apparatus be of an alternating character they may be Afed along the lines at comparatively high potential and transformed down for use in the lamp close to or in the vicinity of the lamp. In such case the indicator Fig. 6 would be placed inthe primary mains while the lamp was run from the secondary and the valve controlling magnet M, Fig. l, would be either in the primary or secondary as convenience dictated. While the magnet M, Fic. l, is shown in shunt, it evidently could be dierential as shown in Fig. 6 and used to operate the valve, and instead of a magnet, other well-known equivalents therefor could be used.

It is obvious that this lamp shifting or re placing device may be applied to any light directive apparatus, as welly as to the lens system shown.

What I claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is

1. The combination with a vertically gravitating carrier, of two or more lamps mounted thereon one above the other, fixed contacts with which said lamps may successively engage, and means for automatically arresting the fall of the carrier when the circuit becomes closed through a lamp.

2. The combination with a vertically gravitating carrier,of two or more lamps mounted thereon one above the other, fixed contacts with which said lamps may successively engage, means for automatically releasing the carrier when the circuit is broken, and means for automatically arresting the carrier when the circuit becomes closed again.

3. The combination with a vertically gravitating carrier, of two or more lamps mounted thereon one above the other, xed contacts with which said lamps may successively engage, and an electro magnet in circuit with said contacts and automatically controlling the vertical movement of the carrier.

4. The combination of the vertical gravitating carrier, two or more lamps mounted thereon one above another, and detaining and releasing devices for said carrier. l

5. The combination with two or more lamps mounted one above the other on a gravitating carrier, of a shifting device for said carrier comprising a plunger, a cylinder in whichV the plunger works, containing sand or similar material, and a valve controlling escape of such material, substantially as described.

6. The combination with two or more lamps mounted one above the other on a gravitating carrier, of the electro-magnet in shunt with the lamp circuit, the valve controlled by said magnet, the cylinder containing sand and having an aperture controlled by said valve, and the plunger working in said` cylinder and connected to said carrier, substan tially as set forth.`

7. The combination in an electric lighting apparatus of a vertical series of lamps attached end to end, each lamp having at its opposite ends attaching devices of different but corresponding character, so as to engage IOO IIO

ro successive connection and responsive to variations in the current through the lamp, and a current responsive device at the generating station controlling an indicator or counter.

In witness whereof I have hereunto set my hand. this 5th day of August, 1891.

` VELIHU THOMSON.

Witnesses:

JOHN W. GIBBONEY, BENJAMIN B. HULL. 

